UAAP titlists Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles displayed top championship form and took care of the Gilas Pilipinas 23 for 2023 Cadets, 75-69, in their first game at the 2018 Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup presented by Chooks-to-Go, Saturday evening.
The game could have gone either way in the first three quarters, but Ateneo’s selfless basketball gave them a huge lead in the final frame.
Thirdy Ravena’s highlight steal from Kobe Paras in the half court — which Ravena finished with an emphatic slam — sparked Ateneo’s 13-2 run, with Mike Nieto contributing.
At 69-54 with 4:49 left, Gilas cadets Juan Gomez de Liano, Arvin Tolentino, Kenneth Tuffin, and Will Gozum added buckets, but these were not enough to pull off a miracle. The match closed with a 75-69 scoreline.
“We had a good spurt in the fourth quarter, I thought our defense most of the game had some passion to it,” Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin said.
Despite a convincing win, Baldwin admitted that they still are in the process of recalibrating their system.
“Actually, I’m not too impressed. I thought we just went out and played. We don’t have much of a system right now because we haven’t worked on anything other than our individual stuff,” Baldwin added, “I appreciate the comments but we have a long way to go.”
UAAP Season 80 Finals MVP Ravena scored the most with 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Returning Adrian Wong chipped in 13 markers.
Gilas mainstays Ricci Rivero and Kobe Paras tallied 17 and 13 points respectively.
Both teams will take on their next assignments on April 27. Ateneo will meet NCAA champions San Beda Red Lions at 4:30pm, while the Gilas Cadets will face UAAP runners-up De La Salle University Green Archers at 6:30pm.
The Scores:
ADMU 75 – Ravena 16, Wong 13, Nieto Mi 10, Nieto Ma 9, Go 7, Kouame 5, White 5, Belangel 4, Maagdenberg 3, Asistio 2, Navarro 1, Mamuyac 0, Credo 0
Gilas 69 – Rivero R 17, Paras 13, Gomez de Liano 11, Tratter 8, Ambohot 5, Gozum 4, Tolentino A 3, Tuffin 3, Tolentino V 3, Rivero P 2, Desiderio 0, Mocon 0
Quarterscores: 17-16, 29-27, 53-48, 75-69.
